Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Government health care would bust Wisconsin’s budget
By Mary Lazich
Tuesday, Jul 22 2008, 08:11 AM
I have written extensively about my opposition to the Senate Democrats’ $15.2 billion government health care proposal. Thus far, the program has been rejected, but Senate Democrats vow to bring it back for legislative consideration.
The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) has a new report that the plan, known as Healthy Wisconsin, would bust the state budget.
WPRI says, “Healthy Wisconsin would turn every aspect of the health care system over to state government. Government involvement in health care would not only be likely, it would be required. As with every other aspect of the state budget, the Legislature will have to set the level of payroll tax that supports the plan and establish a global budget for the plan. Further, given that the tax will be by far the largest levied by state government, and that spending on Healthy Wisconsin will exceed the entirety of the state’s general fund budget, it is inevitable that health care finance and spending will be prominent political and campaign issues.”
The report also states that government involvement in the program will not cases once it’s up and running, the Legislature will be faced with an increase in the payroll tax that supports the program, and that if the plan can’t bring the growth in health care costs closer to the rate of the growth in wages, it will face a shortfall of between $4.79 billion and $10 billion by 2017.
Finally, WPRI points out the disturbing trend in Wisconsin budgeting of raiding funds, noting the $15.2 billion government health care program would be a prime target for raiding.
Here is the complete report.
